STEPHEN  Bo  WEEKS 

CLASS  OF  16861  PUR  THE  JOmS  HOPKINS  UNIVERSITY 


OF  THE 


TIE  WEEKS  COLILECTnON 


OF 


C378 
UK3 


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UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


00039136988 


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Librory  building. 


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ADDRESS 


DEI.IVERED   BEFOKE   THE 


fuo  Itl^i'acg  Sod^li^^ 


UNIVERSITY  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA, 

June  1st,  1865, 
BY 

HOX.  WM.  n.  BATTLE,  LL.  D., 

OF  CHAPEL  HILL. 


E  A  L  E  I  G  H : 

WM.     B.     SMITH    &    CO 
1866. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  N.  C,  } 
Dialectic  Hall,   Oct.  SOtJi,  1865.      V 

We,  the  undersigned,  in  behalf  of  the  Dialectic  Society,  would  tend^ 
you  our  sincere  thanks  for  the  very  excellent  Address  delivered  before  the 
two  Literary  Societies  at  our  last  annual  commencement,  and  request  ft 
copy  of  the  same  for  publication. 

We  would,  individually,  enter  our  solicitations  that  you  comply  witk 
the  above,  since  circumstances  deterred  many  from  hearing  its  dcUvcry. 
Very  respectfully, 

R.  W.  MEANS,  ) 

P.  B.  MEANS,  J-  Committee. 

E.  L.  MOREHEAD,  ) 
Hon.  W.  H.  Battlk. 


Chapel  Hill,  Od.  ZQth,  1865. 
My  Dear  Sirs  : 

I  thank  you  for  the  kind  terms  in  which  you  notice  the  Address 
■which  I  delivered  before  the  two  Societies  at  the  last  annual  commence- 
ment of  the  Uuiversity. 

The  same  motive  Avhich  prompted  me  to  yield  to  the  wislies  of  the 
Society,  under  whose  appointment  the  Address  was  made,  now  impels  me 
to  send  a  copy  to  be  disposed  of  as  the  Society  may  think  proper. 

Very  truly  yours, 

WILL:  H.  BATTLE. 

To  ]\ressr3.  R.  W.  Means,        ^ 

P.  B.  Means,  >  Committee.  ( 

E.  L.  Moreuead,  \ 


ADDRESS. 


YouxG  OE^'TLK^[E:\  of  tiii-; 

Dialectic  and  Piiilaxtiiropic  Scx^^eties  : 

I  appear  l>etbre  y(ju  upon  an  occasion  of  extraordinary  inter- 
-^:it.  A  war,  t lie  parallel  to  wliicli  does  not  appear  upon  the 
records  of  liistoiy,  lias  just  closed.  Its  results  have  been  dis- 
astrous to  our  section  of  tlie  country.  Among;  the  victims  of 
its  fury,  tliere  liave  been  ]ii :)ne  more  conspicuous  than  the  higher 
institutions  of  learninu-.  One  by  one,  the  universities  and  col- 
leges of  the  South  have  been  prostrated  by  tlie  violence  of  tlie 
i?torm.  All,  save  our  l)eloved  Alma  Ifater,  ]i(i\e  been  coin- 
pelled  to  suspend  their  exercises  and  to  close  tlieir  doors.  Here 
silone  the  college  Ijell  has  not  ceased  to  call  students  to  the 
Chapel  for  prayers,  and  to  tiie  Professors"'  rooms  for  re<-itatioa« 
It  must  be  confessed,  however,  that  our  light  has  been  almost 
-extinguished,  and  that  only  a  spark  of  life  still  exists  to  semi 
*jut  a  feeble  ray.  To  this  distinction  of  continued  existence, 
«iiir  University  is  indebted,  under  (rtid,  to  the  indomitable  en- 
ergy of  her  Board  of  Trustees,  and  to  the  devoted  attaclimeiit 
«»fher  President  and  Faculty.  All  honor  to  them  for  their 
noble  perseverance  in  tiie  cause  of  science  and  literature. 
Jfnter  arma  silent  leges,  hut  it  seems  that  the  love  of  leaniing" 
is  stronger  than  the  laws,  for  it  lias  still  tlourished  amidst  i\\e 
4iiu  of  arms. 

At  sucli  an  era  in  the  progress  of  our  University,  I  have 
thought,  my  young  friends,  tliat  I  could  not  better  occupy 
your  attention  for  a  fevv'  moments  than  by  giving  you  a  brief 
#ketc]i  of  its  origin  and  history,  adding  a  few  remarks  upon 
the  influence  which  it  has  had  upon  the  country. 

It  is  the  boast  of  our  State  that  in  its  organic  law,  provision 


6 

h  made  for  the  instruction  of  her  youth  in  all  useful  learning. 
By  the  41st  section  of  the  Constitution  it  is  declared :  "  That 
a  school  or  schools  shall  be  established  by  the  legislature  for 
the  convenient  instruction  of  youth,  with  such  salaries  to  the 
masters,  paid  by  the  public,  as  may  enable  them  to  instruct  at 
low  prices  ;  and  all  useful  learning  shall  be  duly  encouraged 
and  promoted  in  one  or  more  universities."  The  merit  of 
those  who  adopted  this  wise  provision  cannot  be  duly  appre- 
eiatedy  without  adverting  for  a  moment  to  the  time  at,  and 
the  circumstances  under,  which  it  was  made.  The  war  of  the 
Revolution  had  but  fairly  commenced,  and  the  Declaration  of 
Independence  had  only  a  few  months  before  been  promulga- 
ted, wlien  a  convention  of  the  people  met  at  the  town  of  Hali- 
fax lor  the  purpose  of  preparing  a  constitution  or  form  of  gov- 
ernment for  the  State.  The  country  was  poor,  the  people 
generally  but  slightly  educated,  and  tlic  war  then  raging  wa» 
of  doubtful  issue,  yet  the  members  of  the  convention  were  re- 
solved that  their  posterity  should  enjoy  those  advantages  of 
education  which  had  been  denied  to  the  most  ot  them.  There 
can  be  no  doubt  that  a  large  majority  of  those  members  had 
been  instructed  onh^  in  the  plain  rules  of  reading,  ^\riting  and 
arithmetic,  but  destitute  as  they  were  of  book  learning,  they 
had,  in  the  business  of  social  and  political  life,  improved  their 
mental  faculties,  and  had  thereby  educated  themselves  to  a 
due  appreciation  of  the  rights  and  privileges  to  which,  as  free- 
men, they  were  entitled.  A  few,  and  but  a  few  of  them,  were 
men  who  had  been  more  fa\ored  by  fortune,  and  were  well 
instructed  in  all  the  branches  of  a  classical  and  scientific  edu- 
cation. Prominent  among  these  were  Richard  Caswell, 
Thomas  Burke,  John  Ashe,  Samuel  Ashe,  Abner  Xasli,  Da- 
vid Caldwell,  Joseph  Hewes,  Thomas  Jones,  Allen  Jones^ 
Willie  Jones,  Cornelius  Harnett,  Archibald  McLane  and 
WaightstillJAvery.  Richard  Caswell  Avas  president  of  the 
convention,  and  Thomas  Burke  was  chairman  of  the  commit- 
tee on   the  constitution,     Thev  were  both   eminent  lawyers^ 


and  it  is  to  them  and  their  enlightened  compeers  that  we  are 
indebted  for  that  section  in  the  constitution  from  which  have 
emanated  our  University,  our  Colleges  and  our  noble  system 
of  Common  Schools.  The  constitution  was  ratified  the  18th 
day  of  December,  1776,  and  the  war  ceased  by  a  definitive 
treaty  of  peace  which  secured  our  independence  in  September, 
1783 ;  but  it  was  not  until  the  year  1789  that  the  financial 
condition  of  the  State  justified  the  legislature  in  making  the 
necessary  expenditures  for  the  foundation  of  a  University.  In 
that  year  the  charter  of  this  institution  was  granted,  and 
among  the  patriotic  and  enlightened  members  who  advocated 
it,  no  one  stood  more  conspicuous  than  Gen'l  William  R. 
Davie.  Of  his  efforts  on  that  occasion,  the  late  Judge  Mur- 
phy, who  delivered  the  first  annual  address  before  your  So- 
cieties, thus  spoke  in  that  address  :  '•  The  General  Assembly 
resolved  to  found  our  University.  I  was  present  in  the  House 
of  Commons,  when  Davie  addressed  that  body  upon  the  bill 
granting  a  loan  of  money  to  the  Trustees  for  erecting  the 
buildings  of  this  University,  and  although  more  than  thirty 
years  have  since  elapsed,  I  have  the  most  vivid  recollections 
of  the  greatness  of  his  manner  and  the  powers  of  his  eloquence 
upon  that  occasion.''  After  the  grant  of  the  charter,  the  first 
object  which  engaged  the  attention  of  the  Trustees,  was  to 
fix  upon  a  site  for  the  institution.  The  first  Board  consisted 
of  forty  members  who  resided  in  various  parts  of  the  State, 
and  were  all  men  distinguished  for  position  and  influence. 
The  committee  appointed  by  them  for  the  purpose,  after  a 
careful  examination  of  many  places  which  had  been  suggested 
to  them  as  suitable,  selected  Chapel  Hill.  This  place  was  so 
called  from  its  being  tlie  site  of  one  of  the  ante-revolutionary 
churches  of  the  English  Establishment.  The  church  l)uilding 
is  said  to  have  stood  on  the  lot  now  occupied  by  ( 'apt.  llicli- 
ard  S.  Ashe.  It  may  not  be  uninteresting  to  revert  to  the 
terms  in  which  the  location  wa-*  spoken  of  in  one  of  the  pub- 
lic journals  of  that  day  : 


"  The  se^it  of  the  UiiivGi'sity  is  on  the  stiininit  of  a  very  liigh 
ridge.  There  irf  a  gentle  deciivitj  of  300  yards  to  the  AilLige, 
wliich  is  situated  in  a  liandsonie  phiin  considerably  lower  than 
the  site  of  the  public  buildings,  but  so  greatly  elevated  above 
the  neighboring  country  as  to  furnish  an  extensive  landscape. 
The  ridge  appears  to  commence  about  half  a  mile  directly  east 
of  the  college  buildings,  \vhere  it  rises  abruptly  several  hun- 
dred feet.  This  peak  is  called  Point  Prospect.  Tlie  peak 
country  spreads  oif  below,  like  the  ocean,  giving  an  immense 
liemisphere,  in  which  the  eye  seems  to  be  lost  in  the  extent  of 
space.'' 

The  building  committee,  having  in  the  year  1  TU-^  secured  a 
competent  contractor  in  the  person  of  Mr.  James  Patterson, 
of  Chatham  county,  the  12th  day  of  October  in  that  year,  was 
fixed  upon  for  laying  the  corner  stone  of  the  first  l)uilding. 
The  following  account  of  the  ceremony  subsefpiently  api'iear- 
ed  in  the  journal  to  vrhich  we  have  already  referred  :  "  A  large 
number  of  the  brethren  of  the  Masonic  order  from  Hillsbo- 
rough, Chathau],  Granville  and  AVarren  attended  to  a£sist  at 
the  ceremony  of  placing  the  coi'iier  stone  ;  and  the  procession 
for  this  purpose  moved  from  Mr.  Patterson's  at  12  o'clock  in 
the  fol}ov\"ing  order:  The  Masonic  brethren  in  their  usual  or- 
der of  procession,  the  Conmiissioners,  the  Trustees  Jiot  Com-  * 
missioners,  the  Hon.  Judge  McKay  and  other  public  oflicers, 
then  followed  the  gentlemen  of  the  viciiiity.  On  approaching 
the  south  end  of  the  building  the  Masons  opened  to  the  right 
and  left,  and  the  Commissiijners,  c*cc.,  passed  tlirough  and  took 
their  place.  The  Masonic  procession  then  moved  on,  round 
the  foundation  of  the  buikbng,  and  halted  with  their  usual 
ceremonies  opposite  -tlic  south-east  corner,  where  AVilliam 
Pichard^on  Davie,  Grand  Master  cf  the  Fraternity,  etc.,  in 
this  State,  assisted  by  two  Masters  of  Lodges  and  four  other 
oiiicers,  laid  the  corner  stone,  enclosing  a  plate  to  commemor- 
ate the  transaction." 

The  Pev.  Dr.  McCorklc,  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Ti-us. 


9 

teen,  tlieii  iiuidc  an  a])pn»})riate  and  eloquent  address  to  Lis 
fellow  nieiabcis  and  the  spectators,  which  closed  as  follows : 
"  The  seat  of  the  rniver.-ity  was  next  sought  for,  and  the  pub- 
lic eve  selected  Chapel  Hill,  a  lovely  situation,  in  the  centre 
of  the  State.  ;it  a  convenient  distance  froiu  the  capital,  in  a 
hoalrhv  ;ind  fertile  neiii-lihorhoud.  Mny  this  hill  lie  for  reli- 
irion  as  the  ancient  hill  of  Zion  ;  and  for  literature  and  the 
muses  may  it  surpass  the  ancient  Parnassus !  AVe  this  day 
enjf.tv  tlie  pleasure  of  seeing:  the  corner  stone  of  tlie  I  ni\-crsity, 
its  fnundations.  its  nuiterial.  and  the  arcliitect-  of  the  buildings, 
afid  we  hope  ere  lonii:  to  -ee  its  stately  walls  iuid  spire  ascend- 
m<i  to  tlieir  smnniit.  Ere  long  we  ]io])e  to  see  it  adorned  vrith 
an  elegEint  Aillage,  acconmiod.ated  with  vAl  the  necess.iries  and 
conveniences  of  civilized  society."  This  uddi'ess  was  followed 
•bv  a  short  pravei".  Vshich  closeil  with  the  united  Amen  of  an 
immense  conet^.n'se  of  ]K'op]e. 

The  l)uilding,  since  called  the  Ejist,  ha\ing  been  suthcieutly 
}>reitared,  Mr.  ITinti<n  rlauies,  of  Wilmington,  the  iirj.t  student, 
arrived  on  the  Hill  the  \-2[]\  day  of  February,  IT'.)-',  a.nd  the 
exercise-^  of  tiie  in^tituriou  wcw  .-oon  a.tVer  comnu'jiced.  The 
lirst  instructor  wr.s  the  llvv.  Diivid  Kerr.,  a  graduate  of  Tj'ini- 
•ty  College.  Dublin,  who  was  Profe-sor  of  Ancient  Languages, 
and  he  wa,-  ;i--'iste'i  by  Samui'l  .Vileu  llolmc-  in  tlio  prepara- 
tory tlL'[»artmei!t.  Shortly  afterwa.rds  Charles  W.  liariis,  a 
nati\e  of  Iredell  county  in  this  State,  and  a  graduate  of  Prince- 
ton ('(■liege  in  Xew  .Ier^ey.  >\as  a})poiiited  Professor  of  Mathe- 
nuitics.  ])ut  he  ijeld  tlie  oiriee  only  oU','  year,  when  lie  was  suc- 
ceeded by  the  Rev.  .iose[ih  C  alilwell,  who  v>'as  al.-o  a  grailuate 
of  Pi'i'nceton.  au;l  a  nati\'e  of  Xevr  Jersey.  The  tirst  com- 
me7ice:i!ent.  at  which  the  degree  of  J>achelor  of  Arts  ',vas  con- 
ferred, ^ra.-  held  in  tlie  year  ITl'S.  when  seven  y(.)ung  gentle- 
men, among'  whom  wa>  Mr.  Hinton  .lames,  received  that  de- 
gree. 

For  several  years  after  the  erecticn  of  the  lirst  building:-,  the 
iVccoiiim<.)dations  for  the  students,  both  in  the  collegiate  and  tlie 


10 

preparatory  department,  remained  nearly  the  same,  Tlie  old 
Chapel  and  tlie  East  were  the  only  edifices,  and  the  latter  \va* 
then  only  two  stories  high,  and  contained  but  sixteen  rooms. 
The  old  chapel  was  the  Aula  Personica  in  which  the  degrees 
were  for  many  years  conferred. 

The  South  building  was  commenced,  carried  up  a  story  and 
a  half,  and  then  left  for  a  long  time  in  an  unfinished  state.  We 
are  told  by  Dr.  Hooper  in  his  admirable  address  before  Alumni 
of  this  institution,  entitled  "Fifty  Years  Since,"  that  the  stu- 
dents who  could  not  well  prepare  their  lessons  in  the  crowded 
dormitories  of  the  East,  were  in  the  habit  of  erecting  cabins, 
in  the  corners  of  the  unfinished  brick  walls  of  the  South,  wher& 
they  could  pursue  their  studies  to  better  advantage.  .Hut  l)r, 
Caldwell,  who  was  then  President,  could  not  long  endure  thi* 
Btate  of  things  ;  and  by  his  active  exertions,  the  sum  of  twelve 
thousand  dollars  was  raised  by  subscription,  which  enabled 
the  Trustees  to  have  the  South  building  completed.  This  wa* 
done  in  1812 ;  and  about  the  year  1821-,  the  West  building 
was  erected  and  an  additional  story  was  put  upon  the  East. 
Shortly  afterwards  the  new  chapel  was  built ;  and  in  181-8  ex- 
tensions were  added  to  the  East  and  West  buildings,  whicli 
was  done  mainly  for  the  accommodation  of  the  two  Literary 
Societies,  whose  rooms  in  the  third  story  of  tlie  South  had  be- 
come too  small  for  tlie  in(^reased  numl)er  of  members.  The 
buildings  since  erected  liave  been  the  University  library,  and 
the  wino;s  to  the  East  and  West.  The  two  last  were  fi.nished 
and  prepared  for  occupation  only  a  short  time  before  the  com- 
mencement of  the  war.  The  beautiful  and  commodious  So- 
ciety Ilal  Is  contained  in  tliem  have  been  1he  admiration  of  all 
l)eholders. 

At  tlie  commencement  of  the  institution,  and  for  several 
years  afterwards,  the  range  of  studies  was  very  contracted, 
(xrcek  was  not  introduced  into  the  course  until  1804,  and  in 
the  year  1807,  we  learn  that  Morse's  Geography  was  one  of 
the   principal  studies  of  the  Sophomore  class.    The  higher 


11 

mathematics  were  not  introduced  until  tlie  Rev.  l^rflia  Mitch- 
ell came  here  as  professor  of  that  science  in  ISIO.  The  same 
year  witnessed  the  advent  of  Denison  Olmsted  as  the  first  Pro- 
lessor  of  Chemistry  ;  and  in  the  year  following,  tlie  Rev.  Shep- 
herd K.  Kollock,  was  in  like  manner  the  first  Professor  of 
Rhetoric  and  Logic.  After  that  time  the  number  and  variety 
of  studies  were  greatly  iiu^reased,  and  it  is  believed  that  the 
present  college  curriculum  is  on  as  high  a  scale  as  any  in  the 
United  States. 

The  University  has,  in  the  main,  been  fortunate  in  its  gov- 
ernors and  instructors.  During  the  first  nine  years  of  its  ex- 
iBtence,  it  had  no  president,  but  M'as  under  the  management 
of  a  professor  as  presiding  oflicer  ;  that  ofiicer,  however,  was, 
^or  the  greater  part  of  the  time,  the  same  distinguished  gen. 
tleman  who  afterwards  became  its  first  president.  Of  his  emi- 
nfeut  merits  in  that  respect  ir  is  unnecessary  for  me  to  speak 
at  this  time  and  in  this  place.  The  beautiful  monument  erect- 
ed to  his  memory  by  tlie  Alumni  of  this  institution,  and  which 
now  graces  and  adorns  the  college  campus,  fully  attests  his 
claim  to  distinction,  not  only  as  the  head  of  the  University, 
hut  as  a  learned  divine,  and  an  early  and  efficient  advocate  of 
a  system  ot  internal  improvements  and  of  common  schools  in 
the  State.  Ris  presidency  extended  from  his  first  appoint- 
ment in  1804,  until  his  death  in  1835,  with  the  exception  of 
an  interval  of  four  years,  from  1812  to  181G,  during  which 
the  unsuccessful  administration  of  Dr.  Robert  H.  ( /hapman 
occurred.  Of  the  present  incumbent,  I  shall  say  nothing,  ex- 
cept that  he  has  filled  the  office  with  distinguished  success  for 
nearly  thirty  years.  In  administering  tlie  affairs  of  (college. 
and  in  business  of  instruction,  the  presidents  were  aided  by  a 
succession  of  many  learned  and  able  professors.  Of  those 
who  are  now  members  of  the  faculty,  it  M'ill  not  be  expected 
of  me  to  speak ;  and  of  those  who  have  gone  from  us  and  are 
still  living,  I  will  merely  refer  you  to  Dr.  William  Hooper 
and  John  DeBerniere  IIoo])er.  to  Bishop  Green,  of  MissLssip- 


12 

pi,  to  Professor  Iledrick,  and  to  Drs.  Deems,  Wlieat  and  Sliipp. 
Among  the  dead  there  are  several  names  Avliicli  the  friends  of 
the  IJniversitv  ought  not  to  permit  to  be  forgotten.  There 
wns  Charles  AY.  Harris,  to  whose  brief  sojourn  here  we  were 
iiulebted  f<^)r  Dr.  Caldwell ;  there  was  Archibald  D.  Mui-phy, 
who  afterwards  became  one  of  the  most  distinguished  jurists- 
and  statesmen  of  Xortli  Carolina  ;  the  Ilev.  "William  Bingham, 
of  whom  Chief  Justice  Taylor  said,  that  as  a  teacher  of  a 
scj!<*(>l  he  Avas  well  qualified  to  raise  its  reputation,  "by  the 
extent  of  his  ac(iuirements.  the  purity  of  his  life,  and  the  judg- 
ment by  which  he  accommodated  the  discipline  and  instruc- 
tions of  the  sciiool  to  the  various  talents  and  dispositions  of 
tite  youth."  There  was  Dr.  Ethan  A.  Andrews,  so  Avell  kno^\•^^ 
for  ids  clrissical  labors;  and  Dr.  Olmsted,  who,  as  Professor 
of  Xatural  Philosophy  at  Yale  College,  so  greatly  increased 
the  reputation  which  he  had  established  as  Professor  of  Chem- 
istry here;  there  was  ]S"icholas  M.  Ilcntz,  a  learned  man,  but 
not  so  Avidely  known  as  his  accomplished  wife,  Mrs.  Caroline 
Lee  Ilentz;  there  Avas  AValker  Anderson,  Avho  afterwards  re- 
moved to  Florida  aiid  became  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  that  State;  and  linally  there Avas Dr.  El isha Mitchell, 
Avhose  A  aried,  extensive  and  profound  literary  and  scientific 
acquirements  Avere  lost  to  the  Avorld  a  fcAv  years  ago  by  a  tra- 
gical event  Avliich  sent  :i  ])ang  of  sorrow  to  every  votary  of 
science  throughout  the  land. 

In  referring  to  the  instructors  of  the  institution,  the  tutors 
>ltonld  not  be  passed  over  Avithout  a  notice.  Among  the  liv- 
ing and  the  dead,  they  have  very  able  and  distinguished  rep- 
resentatiA'es.  Among  the  living  are  ex-Governor  Morehead» 
Hamilton  C.  Jones,  Anderson  Mitchell.  Giles  Mebane,  Judg« 
Manly.  ex-Secretary  Jacob  Thompson,  and  others  Avhose  names- 
nuiy  yet  SAvell  the  trump  of  fame.  Among  the  dead,  I  Avould 
point  you  to  James  Martin,  afterAvards  a  Judge  of  the  Su- 
perioi-  Court ;  to  Gavin  Hogg,  long  one  of  the  ablest  hxAvyers 
of  the  State;  to   LeAvis  Williams,  avIio  Avas   a  member  of  the 


13 

House  of  liepreseiitatives  so  long  that  he  acquired  the  name 
of  the  father  of  tlie'IIottse;  to  William  D.  Moseh',  for  many 
years  Speaker  of  the  Senate  in  this  State,  and  afterwards  Gov- 
ernor of  Florida ;  to  James  II.  Ote}',  the  able  and  learned 
Bishop  of  Tennessee ;  to  the  Rev.  Joseph  II.  Saunders,  whose 
early  death  cut  short  a  bright  career  of  usefulness  in  his 
cliurch  ;  to  Edward  D.  Simms,  whose  growing  reputation  as  a 
professor  in  the  University  of  Alabama  was  closed  by  death 
before  he  had  attained  the  meridian  of  his  years  ;  and  to  Abra- 
l»am  F.  Morehead,  the  youngest  member  of  a  distinguished 
family,  who  would  doubtless  have  greatly  increased  the  fame 
of  that  family,  had  he  not  died  in  the  earliest  dawn  of  man- 
hood. I  name  with  peculiar  sadness  George  P.  Bryan,  George 
B.  Johnston,  Iowa  Royster  and  E.  Graham  Morrow,  who  have 
so  recently  been  consigned  to  soldiers'  graves. 

From  this  hasty  and  imperfect  sketch  of  the  origin  and  his- 
tory of  the  University,  it  appears  clearly  and  strongly  that 
the  founders  of  our  republic  and  their  successors,  have  always 
had  a  deep  sense  of  tlie  importance  of  a  collegiate  education. 
The  enquiry  is  n-aturally  presented  how  far  their  hopes  have 
l)cen  realised  from  this  institution  ;  in  other  words,  with  what 
measure  of  success  has  it  been  attended  in  promoting  and  ad- 
vancing the  weal  of  the  State  ?  A  practical  solution  of  thk 
enquiry  may  perhaps  be  obtained  by  ascertaining,  if  we  can, 
what  influence  the  men  who  received  their  education  here 
have  liad  in  the  management  and  direction  of  the  affairs  of 
the  General  and  State  governments.  It  is  unnecessary  on  this 
occasion,  to  go  into  minute  details  on  this  subject,  but  we  can 
say  in  general,  and  say  with  certainty,  that  there  is  scarcel}' 
An  oftice  or  place  of  profit  or  trust,  or  any  position  in  the  bu- 
siness of  life,  professional  or  non-professional,  ecclesiastical  or 
lay,  military  or  civil,  which  has  not  been  filled,  time  and  again, 
by  some  one  who  has  received  his  education,  in  whole  or  in 
part,  at  this  University.  To  the  General  government  it  has 
ftirjiished  one  President,  at  least  five  members  of  the  cabinet 


14 

and  four  ministers  to  foreign  courts,  while  of  the  number  which 
it  has  sent  to  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  it  is 
difficult  to  make  a  reckoning.  In  the  State  government  there 
is  hardly  any  office,  which  has  not  been  filled  by  those  who 
have  gone  forth  from  these  lialls.  It  has  its  representatives  in 
the  highest  places  of  the  church,  among  the  leaders  at  the  bar, 
and  in  the  chambers  where  suft'ering  humanity  most  needs  the 
aid  of  educated  science  and  skill.  It  has  supplied  banks  and 
railroads  witli  presidents,  clerks  and  superintendents.  It  sends 
its  Alumni  to  explore  mines  and  to  construct  railroads;  and 
above  all,  and  best  of  all,  it  famishes  to  agriculture  and  com- 
merce some  of  their  most  enlightened,  energetic  and  skillful 
votaries. 

The  exciting  times  through  which  we  have  just  passed  and 
are  now  passing,  have  prevented  me  from  bringing  more  par- 
ticularly to  your  attention  the  men  whom  our  University  has 
sent  forth  to  act  their  parts  in  the  world.  It  is  only  by  the  offices 
which  they  have  filled,  or  the  places  which  they  have  occupied, 
that  I  have  recalled  them  to  your  recollection.  Many  of  them 
have  paid  the  great  debt  of  nature,  and  gone  to  render  to,  their 
Maker  an  account  of  their  stewardship.  Others  are  still  liv- 
ing to  perform,  it  may  be,  higher  duties  to  their  country,  and 
to  obtain  greater  rewards  for  themselves.  Of  all  these,  dead 
or  living,  I  have  nothing  farther  to  say.  But  with  your  in- 
dulgence, I  will  occupy  a  few  more  moments  of  your  time  in 
recalling  from  the  dim  recollections  of  the  past  the  names  of 
a  few  men,  each  of  whom  was  regarded  as  the  college  genius 
of  the  day,  and  wdio,  with  w^ell  directed  energies  and  a  longer 
life,  might  have  left  a  name  which  the  world  would  not  will- 
ingly have  let  die, 

William  Cherry  was  a  native  of  Bertie  county,  and  was 
graduated  here  in  the  year  1800,  While  in  college  he  was 
not  a  very  diligent  student,  but  his  aptitude  for  learning  was 
so  marvellous  that,  it  was  said,  he  could  prepare  his  lesson  af- 
ter the  recitation  bell  had  commenced  ringing.     Having  se- 


15 

lected  the  law  as  his  profession,  he  had  already  attained  an 
extensive  practice  and  a  high  rank  at  the  bar,  when  his  career 
was  cut  short  by  death,  caused  by  intemperance,  at  the  early 
age  of  twenty-seven.  Those  who  were  engaged  in  practice 
with  him  could  not  but  wonder  at  the  admirable  manner  in 
which  he  managed  his  causes,  knowing  as  they  did  that  the 
time  which  he  ought  to  have  spent  in  the  preparation  of  them, 
was  passed  at  the  card  taT)le  and  around  the  intoxicating  bowl. 
A  «tory  is  still  remembered,  that  on  one  occasion,  in  the  for- 
getfulness  caused  by  a  deep  debauch,  he  opened  an  important 
cause  by  making  a  very  able  argument  on  the  wrong  side ; 
but  being  made  aware  of  his  mistake  just  as  he  was  about  to 
close,  he,  immediately,  with  admirable  presence  of  mind,  com- 
menced a  reply  for  his  own  client,  by  saying  that  the  argu- 
ment which  he  had  just  made  was  what  he  supposed  would 
be  urged  by  his  opponent,  and  that  he  would  proceed  to  an- 
swer it,  and  expose  its  fallacy.  Tradition,  however,  reports 
that  his  first  argument  was  so  masterly  that  he  could  not  an- 
swer it  successfully,  and  thus  lost  his  cause. 

About  fifteen  years  after  Mr.  Cherry  left  the  University  a 
young  man  from  the  county  of  iN'asli  was,  with  many  othci-s, 
suspended  from  college  in  consecpience  of  what  Avas  long  known 
«s  the  great  rebellion  of  1810,  which  resulted  in  the  expulsion 
of  the  leaders,  Messrs.  George  C.  Drumgold  and  William  B. 
Shepard,  and  the  resignation  of  the  President,  Dr.  Chapman. 
The  expelled  members  both  afterwards  became  distinguished 
men,  but  talented  as  they  undoubtedly  were,  they  were  de 
cidedly  inferior  in  genius  to  their  classmate  and  friend,  Thom- 
as jS^.  Mann.  lie  became  a  lawyer,  and  at  the  time  when  he 
fell  a  victim  to  consumption,  while  under  thirty  years  of  age, 
he  was  one  of  the  best  read  and  most  profound  lawyers  in  the 
State.  Though  so  young,  he  was  appointed  by  the  then  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  as  Qliarge  d'  Affaires  to  Central 
America,  and  died  while  on  his  way  to  the  court  of  that 
country. 


IG 

In  tlie  yesir  1824,  Thonuis  Dewes,  u  young  niaii  iVoni  the 
county  of  Lincoln,  took  liis  deg-ree  of  Bacliel<n*  of  Arts,  divid- 
ing with  Prof.  Simms,  Judge  Manly  aiul  ex-Governor  (rraJiam 
the  highest  honor  of  the  cla.ss.  lli.-^  parents  M'cre  i)i)or,  and  it 
is  said  resorted  to  the  humble  occu[)ation  of  selling  cakes  for 
the  purpose  of  procuring  means  for  the  e<Iucation  oi  their 
promising  boy.  .Vfter  his  graduati<^)n,  he  studied  hur  and 
commenced  the  ])ra(^tice  with  t^vi^vy  pros])ect  of  eminent  stic- 
cess,  when,  unhappily,  a  morbid  sensitiveness  of  temperament, 
drove  him  to  habits  of  intemperanci-,  during  one  of  the  tits  of 
M'hieh  he  came  to  an  untimely  end.  His  name  which  ought 
to  have  gone  down  to  posterity  on  account  of  great  deeds 
achieved  by  extraordinary  talents,  will  [)ro})ably  be  remem- 
bered only  in  connection  with  a  haj)pily  turne<l  im})romptu 
epitaph.  When  ex-Govenior  Swain  Avas  at  the  bar,  he  wa>, 
on  a  certain  occa^sion,  at  the  same  court  with  Messrs.  -lames 
Tl,  Dodge,  llilhnan  and  Dews.  Mr.  JSwain  had  seen  some- 
where a  punning  epitaph  on  a  man  named  Dodge,  which  ended 
with  the  couplet  that 

'•  \i\cT  dodging'  all  he  could, 
lie  couldn't  dodge  the  devil." 

This  he  wrote  on  a  piece  of  paj)er  and  handed  it  to  the 
other  memljers  of  the  l)ar,  whose  merriment  it  very  much  ex- 
cited. After  a  while  it  reached  the  hand^  of  >Ir.  Dodge  him- 
self, wlu),  seeing  from  M'hom  it  came  and  supposijig  that  ilill- 
man  and  Dews  w^w  paHicipes  criminis,  immediately  wrote  on 
the  back  tlu^  following  : 

'■  Here  lie  a  Ilillinau  and  a  Swain, 

Their  lot  let  no  man  choose, 
Tliey  lived  in  sin  and  died  in  pain, 

And  the  devil  has  Viis  Dews."' 

Those  wlio  are  familiar  witli  the  playful  and  hap[)y  tiirn\)f 
thought  and  expression  Mhich  distiiigiiish  the  lighter  writings 
of  Washington  Irving  will  not  l>e  surprised  to  learn  tliat  Mr, 
Dodge  is  his  nephew. 


IT 

The  next  and  last  college  genius  to  wlioni  I  shall  call  your 
attention  was  the  late  General  James  Johnston  Pettigrew. 
Born  in  the  county  of  Tyrrell,  he  was  prepared  for  college  at 
the  celebrated  school  of  "William  J.  Bingham,  a  son  of  the 
Bev.  William  Bingham  already  mentioned,  and  entered  the 
Freshman  Class  here  in  tjie  year  1843.  His  whole  college 
course  Avas  a  continued  series  of  literary  triumphs.  In  a  class 
containing  many  members  of  more  than  ordinary  talents  he 
was  among  the  best,  if  not  the  very  best,  in  all  his  studies  ; 
but  mathematics  was  his  speciality.  In  that  he  was  far  ahead 
of  all  liis  classmates.  I  well  remember  being  present  at  the 
examination  of  the  class  on  Astronomy,  Avlien  the  learned- 
Professor,  after  having  worried  several  members  by  putting 
questions  which  they  could  not  answer,  called  up  Mr.  Petti- 
grew. As  he  did  so  one  of  the  class,  in  a  whisper  loud  enough 
to  be  heard  half  across  the  room,  said,  "  You  can't  stick  him," 
and  sure  enough  he  couldn't.  After  taking  the  Bachelor-s 
degree,  and  after  a  short  term  of  service  in  the  Naval  Obser- 
vatory in  Washington  City,  he  selected  the  law  as  his  profes- 
sion, and  went  to  Europe  to  perfect  himself  in  that  depart- 
ment of  it  called  the  civil  law.  On  his  return  he  settled  in 
Charleston  and  became  connected  in  practice  with  his  distin- 
guished relative,  the  late  Hon.  James  L.  Petigru,  who  was 
perhaps  the  ablest  and  most  profound  lawyer  in  South  Caro- 
lina. During  his  brief  residence  there  he  became  one  of  the 
Tepresentatives  of  the  city  in  the  Legislature  of  the  State. 
"While  a  member  of  tliat  body  he  greatly  distinguished  him- 
self by  sending  in  from  a  committee  a  minority  report  against 
a  scheme  then  proposed  for  taking  steps  towards  the  reopen- 
ing of  the  slave  trade.  He  himself  constituted  tlie  minority^ 
and  his  report  was  so  profound  in  its  views,  and  so  convincing 
in  its  arguments,  that  the  proposed  measure  failed  to  secure 
the  sanction  of  the  Legislature,  though  strongly  urged  in  a 
report  agreed  upon  by  all  the  other  members  of  the  com- 
mittee. 


18 

AVlien  the  war  broke  out  between  the  JSTorth  and  the  South 
he  espoused  the  cause  of  his  section  of  the  country.  After 
eorae  service  at  Charleston  he  came  to  this  State,  was  elected 
Colonel  of  one  of  its  regiments  and  was  afterwards  promoted 
to  the  rant  of  Major  General.  Of  his  merits  as  a  soldier 
nnd  an  officer  it  is  unnecessary  for  Inenow  to  speak.  His  un- 
timely death,  in  a  slight  skirmish  near  the  banks  of  the  Po- 
tomac during  General  Lee's  retreat  from  Pennsylvania,  caused 
his  friends  and  his  country  to  deplore  an  event  which  extin- 
guished the  light  of  his  genius  long  ere  it  had  attained  its  me- 
ridian splendor. 

^ly  young  friends,  my  task  is  done  and  no  one  can  feel 
more  sensibly  than  myself  how  imperfectly  it  has  been  accom- 
plished. Ko  one  can  know  more  fully  than  myself  how  dif- 
ficult it  has  been  to  withdraw  my  thoughts  from  the  unhappy 
condition  of  our  country  and  apply  them  to  tlie  work  of  at- 
tempting to  prepare  an  offering  worthy  of  your  acceptance. 

In  the  commencement  of  my  address  I  had  occasion  to  re- 
fer to  the  low  condition  to  which  the  ■war  had  suddenly  re- 
duced our  beloved  University.  Its  declension  was  as  great  as 
it  was  sudden.  Before  the  war  it  had  attained,  in  a  very  few 
3'ears,  a  height  of  prosperity  of  which  scarcely  a  parallel  can 
be  found  in  any  country.  In  the  extent  and  variety  of  its 
studies,  the  number  and  ability  of  its  instructors  and  the  num- 
ber of  its  students,  it  surpassed  nearly  all  similar  institutions 
in  our  own  section  of  the  country,  and  was  beginning  to  rival 
tbe  old,  time-honored  establishments  of  Yale  and  Harvard. 
In  the  year  1858  its  catalogue  showed  a  larger  nmnber  of  un- 
der-p-raduates  than  that  of  any  other  college  in  the  United 
States,  except  Yale.  All  this  success  was  accohiplished  in  a 
very  short  time.  A  glance  at  the  rapidly'  increasing  ratio  of 
its  graduates  will  illustrate  the  truth  of  my, remark.  For  the 
first  ten  years  after  the  date  in  which  degrees  were  conferred 
by  the  University,  the  number  of  students  who  received  the 
Baccalaureate  was  53 ;  for  the  second  decade  it  was  110  ;  for 


19 

the  third  259  ;  for  the  fourth  146 ;  for  the  fifth  308 ;  for  the 
sixth  448 ;  and  for  the  seventh  the  annual  number  was  going 
on  at  a  rate  which  would  have  produced  882,  nearly  the  double- 
of  that  which  immediately  preceded  it. 

Another  striking  manifestation  of  the  grov/ing  fame  and 
the  wide-spreading  influence  of  the  University  was  afforded 
by  the  honor  of  having  had  among  the  visitors  at  each  of  the 
commencements  of  1847  and  1859  the  then  President  of  the 
United  States  and  a  part  of  his  cabinet.  On  the  first  of  these 
occasions  one  of  her  own  sons  came  to  greet  his  fair  mother, 
and  on  the  second  a  stranger  from  a  distant  State  came  to  do 
her  honor.  But  the  scene  is  now  changed.  The  war  has  ai*- 
rested  our  Alma  Mater  in  her  proud  career  of  success,  and  she 
ss  now  reduced  to  a  low,  very  low,  condition ;  but  as  peace 
has  once  more  dawned  upon  the  country,  let  us  cherish  the 
fond  hope  that  she  will  soon  emerge,  with  fresh  strength  and 
renovated  energies,  from  the  deep  valley  of  humiliation,  and 
again  take  her  seat  upon  the  high  hill  of  prosperity,  whence 
she  may  spread  abroad  all  over  the  land  the  blessings  of  edu- 
cation and  religion,  with  their  attendant  benefits  of  civilization 
and  refinement. 


i 


^ 


